Grain cutting and grading machine



GRAIN CUTT 0. P. SMITH.

ms AND GRADING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 30,1921.

Patented Jan. 10, 1922.

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GRAIN CUTTING AND GRADING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED JULY 30.1921.

Patented Jan. 10, 1922.

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GRAIN CUTTING AND GRADING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED JULY 30, 1921.

. 1,403,455. Patented Jan. 10,1922.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

OLIVER r.snrrn,or

roartann,onneon.

GRAIN CUTTING AND GRADING IVIACHINE.

Application filed July 30,

T all "whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Omvnn P. SMITH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Portland, in the county of Multnomah, in the State of Oregon, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Grain Cutting and Grading Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to devices for partly reducing grain of various kinds previous to its reduction into meal or flour, or to produce groats or coarse reductions, and grade the product thus obtained.

Another object of this invention is to provide a device of this character wherein the reduction or cutting of the grainunits into relatively coarse particles and grading the product thus obtained is accomplished in one machine and by employing one source of power.

A still further object of the invention re sides in a novel and improved mechanism of the type above set forth wherein the grain is cut as it passes through the sieve, producing clear cut pieces with practically no flour, the out grain being the finished commercial product.

With these and other objects in view the invention consists in certain novel features of construction as hereinafter shown and described and then specifically pointed out in the claims, and in the drawings illustrative of the preferred embodimentvof the invention.

Figure l is a side elevation ofthe' improved apparatus.

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional elevation of the same.

Figure 3 is an enlarged sectional detail illustrating the construction of the cutting devices.

Figure 4 is a transverse section on'the line 4-4 of Figure 1.

Figure 5 is a transverse section on the line 55 of Figure 1.

The improved apparatus includes a support in the form of a frame having vertical corner members 10, upper horizontal members 11 and lower horizontal members 12. The frame work above noted is suspended by rods 13, one for each corner member, and coupled at their lower ends to brackets 14 and attached at their upper ends by eye bolts 15 to a suitable stationary structure, for in Specification. of Letters Patent. Patentd Jan, 10 .1922.

1921. Serial No. 488,693.

for anti friction bearing balls to engage a vertical shaft 21. Fitting in the socket of the hub 17 is a bearing n1ember'22 to'engage the upper faces of the'balls 20 and hold them from lateral and upward displacement.

The member 22 is held adjustably in position by clamp screws 23 and protected by a cap device 24. 1

Attached to the lower horizontal members 12 is another spider frame including ahub 25 and lateralmembers 26, the'latter connected at 27 to the frame members 12 or to the corner niemberslO, or to both.

The hub 25 is formed with an upwardly opening socket having an annular raceway for a friction collar 28, of Babbitt metal to engage the lower portion of the shaft 21, said collar being held in adjustable positionby set screws 30. i

The shaft 21 is provided with a driving pulley 31 operative by a drive belt 32 leading from a drive pulley 33 on a drive shaftr3 l. The belt may be lead from any direction, but generally overidler pulleys 35 and 86 as shown. By this means, the shaft 21 will be rotated without interfering with the swinging movement of the support upon its suspension rods 13, but on the other hand the motion imparted by the shaft 21 will causethe frame to rapidlyvibrate or be jarredlaterally by the movement of the belt.

A suitable fly wheel 37 is attached to the shaft 21, to impart the, requisite stabilizing of tie movement, and an intermediate supof the member 40 is a screen element 43, the apertures of the screen being just large enough to permit a kernel of wheat, or other grain to pass, when'upended, as hereafter explained.

A feed spout 44 is arranged to supply the grain to be treated to the screen 43, and is preferably provided with a flexible section 45 so that any lateral movement of the sup porting structure will not interfere with the supply of grain.

ounted for rotation with the shaft is another spider frame comprising a hub 46 radiating arms 47 and an annular rim 48. Each of the arms 47 is set at an incline as shown in Fig. 3 and bearing upon each inclined face is a blade 49 having a cutting edge 50. a a

Each blade is formed with "a transverse slot 51 near each end to receive clamp bolts 51 whereby the blades are rendered adjustable and each member 47 is likewise provided with a rib 52 to receive adjusting screws bearing against the lower edge of the blade, to forcibly adjust the blade transversely of the member 47 and likewise to rigidly hold the blade in adjusted position.

By this means the blade is firmly held from displacement to which. it will be subjected when in use.

-The cutting edges of the blades may thus be adjusted to operate at any required distance fromv the face of the screen 43, as will be obvious.

An overflow spout 54 is provided on the receiving member 40 and declines outwardly therefrom to dispose of those kernels of grain which are too large to pass through the interstices of the screen.

Supported on guide ribs 55 attached to the lower portion of the corner members 10 an open frame 56 having a plurality of screen elements '57 therein, and with discharge spouts '58 and 59 at the. ends.

The #screen elements 57 are of decreasing fineness of mesh from the upper to the lower as represented in Figure 2, and reversely in" clincd so that the tailings, or particles too coarse to pass through the coarser screen, will pass through a lateral spout indicated at 60,the medium sized particles, or those too coarse to pass through the finer lower screen will ass as tailings to the spout 59, while the finer particles, or those small enough to pass through the meshes of the lower finer screen, will pass to the spout 58. By this means the product of the cutters 49 will be graded or separated into different sized particles.

By this simple arrangement it will be obvious that as the rotary motion isimparted to the shaft 21, which is mounted in the freely swinging frame, the latter will be constantly vibrated to a sufficient extent to cause the kernels ofgrain which are fed to the horizontal screen 43 to be distributed uniformly over the screen and assume a vertical position and pass in that position through the interstices of the screen and the protruding portions severed by the rapidly revolving cutters 49 and 50, and as the kernels con tinue to protrude, the rapidly rotating blades reduce the kernels to relatively fine particles which fall upon the grading portion of the apparatus and are effectually "graded as be fore described. y

The particles or kernels which are too large to pass through the mesh of the screen 43 are carried off through the overflow device 54. The improved device is simple in construction, may be manufactured of any size or capacity and of any suitable material.

The preferred embodiment of the invention is disclosed in the drawings and set forth in the specification, but it will be understood that any modifications within the scope of the claimed invention may be made in-theconstruction without departing from the principle of the invention or sacrificing any of its advantages.

that is claimed is 1. A device of the class described comprising a swinging support, a horizontal screen device supported to swing with said support, and a plurality of. cutting devices mounted for rotation relatively to said support and operating below said screen to sever the grain units as they pass through the screen.

A device of the class described comprising a swinging support, a horizontal screen.

device supported to swing wit'hsaid support,

a plurality of cutting devices mounted for rotation relatively to said support and open ating below said screen to sever the grain units as they pass through the screen, and means carried by the swingingsupportfor grading the severed elements after passing theeutting devices. p

A device oftheclass (lBS(3l'll')0Cl comprising a swinging support, a screen devicecon nected toswing'withsaid support, a vertical shaft mounted in said support, means for rotating said shaft, and a frame mounted to rotate with said'shaft and'including a plurality of arms disposed radially of the shaft, a cutting blade carried by each of said arms, and adjustable relatively to the under face of said screen.

In testimony whereof, I affix my signature hereto.

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